Welcome to Year 1.
Toys
This unit looks at the changes in toys over the past 60 years. The children will begin by looking at modern-day toys and they will discuss and make comparisons between the toys they play with in the modern day. Each lesson then looks back a little further in time, with the children looking at the toys they played with when they were babies, the toys their parents had when they were a similar age to them, and concludes with them looking at the toys that their grandparents had when they were younger. The chronology of these events is clearly marked on a timeline to help their understanding of the past. Throughout all of these lessons, children will discuss what things we do to help us find out about the past. The children will learn about being a history detective and will be encouraged to ask questions, make comparisons and use evidence to help them come to conclusions.
The World and my school
In this unit, children will begin learning about space and scale by looking at their classroom location using a planned perspective of the school. Children will then look at the location of their school on their street, including some of the other key human and physical features of the area. Children will explore the location of their town within the United Kingdom and learn about the UK’s four countries and capital cities. They will learn about the seasons in the United Kingdom and how they change. Children will then look at where the United Kingdom is in the world, learn the names of the continents and oceans and look at weather and climate across the globe.
Explorers
This unit begins by introducing the children to images of different explorers: explorers that explore different parts of the world. The children will discuss where in the world these explorers may have been and the special equipment that they need to survive. Over the next few lessons, children will be introduced to some famous explorers from the past. They will find out more about their lives and the reasons why they became explorers. During this unit, they will ‘meet’ Charles Darwin, Neil Armstrong, Ibn Battuta, Roald Amundsen, Sylvia Earle and Edmund Hillary. They will have the opportunity to ask and answer questions about them and make simple comparisons between their explorations. At the end of the unit, children will consider modern day explorations and whether or not humans will still explore the Earth and beyond in the future.
Our Local Park
In this unit, children explore their local park, naming and describing what they see (e.g. different areas: play areas, ponds, wildlife areas, car parks) and how these areas are used. Children will study data collection methods and choose appropriate methods according to their enquiry.
They will use first-hand sensory exploration and observations to investigate the key features of their local park. Children will reflect upon the data collected to answer how people use and enjoy their local park. Children will present their data to answer their enquiry.
Great Fire of London
In this history unit, the children will discover what London was like in 1666. They will make simple comparisons between then and the present day. The lessons will move on to discover what happened on the night of 2nd September 1666 when the Great Fire of London started. They will discuss why the fire spread quickly and how it was tackled. The children will be introduced to key historical individuals, such as Thomas Farriner, Samuel Pepys, King Charles II and Christopher Wren. The children will consider how we find out about the past. They will have the opportunity to study evidence, such as Samuel Pepys’ diary and objects left behind after the fire, to help them form opinions about what happened over 350 years ago.
Our School Grounds
In this unit, children explore their school grounds, naming and describing what they see (e.g. different areas: buildings, playgrounds, planters, sensory gardens, field, forest school) and how these areas are used. Children will study data collection methods and choose appropriate methods according to their enquiry.
They will use first-hand sensory exploration and observations to investigate the key features of their school grounds. Children will devise simple maps, including map symbols to represent their observations. Children will learn about compasses and the simple use of directional language. Children will reflect upon the data collected to answer how their school grounds support and encourage plant life. Children will present their data to answer their enquiry.